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/lit/ - Literature

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6341534 No.6341534 [Reply] [Original]

I'm reading Pale Fire and I'm a bit confused of what's happening right now.

First we have a preface and then Shade's poem Pale Fire. After follows the commentary of the poem when most of the book is contained.

I've read the commentary up to line 162 and I fail to realize why is the author talking about it and why is it happening.

At first the commentary of the poem were about the relation between the author of the book, Charles Kinbote, and his neighboor John Shade. Not knowing exactly how, from a few reference here and there, the commentary went to describe the story of a King (apparently because of a reference of Shade's poem Pale Fire to some character with certain relation with the King's wife).

Later the King is running away and has become an ex-King for reasons I'm unaware. There was a single mention of a crown, that maybe the King has stolen?, but that wouldn't make any sense.

The person often refered as King is also called Charlie a few times, which implies that the King is also Charles Kinbote author of the preface and commentary of Pale Fire?

As I said, I've read up to the commentary of line 162 (115/220 pages of the book). Please avoid spoilers whenever possible.

>> No.6341536

>>6341534
The commentary is the novel m8

>> No.6341545

>>6341534
Kinbote is delusional.

Also, this book may be a bit too hard for you

>> No.6341546

>>6341536
I know, and the events of the commentary are a bit confusing.

>> No.6341559
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6341559

>>6341545
>Also, this book may be a bit too hard for you

>> No.6341593

I just finished the novel yesterday. It's worth the read for sure, you just have to keep in mind that almost everything the narrator Kinbote writes is sketchy as hell, whether it's 100% falsified, obsessive, or delusional. Most of the "plot" is implicit until the end.

>> No.6341598

>>6341546
If what's confusing you is how (relatively) little link there is between commentary and poem, yes, that's the case, and you may smile now

>> No.6341673

>>6341598
Not only between the commentary and the poem, but between some of the comments themselves.

Kinbote's goes from telling a story of an apparent crime using some lines of the poem to describe how he's stalking Shade and the jump ot another thing.

>> No.6342692

>>6341593
>you just have to keep in mind that almost everything the narrator Kinbote writes is sketchy as hell, whether it's 100% falsified, obsessive, or delusional.
He does seem paranoid when writing about conspiracies.

>> No.6342942

>>6341534
Kinbote is bad at poetry. That's the joke.